JLC3DP Blog

Material Guides

ABS vs PC vs PC-ABS: Which Is Best for 3D Printing?

Key Takeaways The ABS vs PC vs PC-ABS decision comes down to one trade: PC gives you roughly 35–40°C more heat resistance and higher stiffness; ABS prints more easily and costs less; PC-ABS trades a little of each extreme for the most balanced printing experience. PC leads on heat resistance (~125–130°C vs ~85–95°C for ABS) and stiffness, with impact resistance as its signature trait — "strongest" depends on which property and grade you compare — but it demands the hottest, most enclosed, least forgiv......

Sep 24, 2026

Cost & ROI

Top 5 3D Printer Tables of 2025: Boosting Your 3D Printing Experience

Choosing the right table for your 3D printer that enhances printing stability, reduces noise, and provides organized storage space is important for achieving high-quality prints and optimizing your workflow. In this guide, we'll look at what makes a good 3D printer table and recommend the best 3D printer tables on the market in 2026. Below are our top five 3D printer tables and stands for 2026, highlighting their features, benefits, and why they might be perfect for your printing space. Best 3D Printe......

Sep 23, 2026

SLA Printing

How Do Resin 3D Printers Work? A Beginner's Guide

Key Takeaways A resin 3D printer works by curing each layer of liquid photopolymer with light — either tracing the layer with a laser or exposing it through a projected or masked image. A build plate dips into a shallow vat of resin, and the layer hardens only where light reaches it. The print cycle runs on a rhythm fused deposition modeling (FDM) machines do not have: expose the layer, peel it off the film at the bottom of the vat, let fresh resin flow back, and repeat. A 50mm part at 0.05mm layers t......

Sep 21, 2026

Material Guides

Polycarbonate Filament: Properties, Printing, and Uses

Key Takeaways Polycarbonate filament — the spool form of the polymer most people simply call PC — is an engineering-grade fused deposition modeling (FDM) material that pairs high impact resistance with heat resistance well above what ABS or PETG reach. PC prints hot: typical starting points are a nozzle at 260–310°C and a bed at 100–120°C, confirmed against the spool's datasheet. An all-metal hotend is recommended, because PC printing temperatures can exceed the continuous-temperature limits of many P......

Sep 21, 2026

Safety & Maintenance

Does 3D Printing Smell? Causes, Risks & How to Reduce It

Key Takeaways 3D printing can produce odors, VOCs, and ultrafine particles, but smell alone does not indicate exposure or toxicity. 3D printer fumes vary by material and printing conditions. PLA and PETG generally have lower emissions, while ABS and resin require greater emission control. Ventilation and source control are the most effective measures for reducing exposure to 3D printing emissions. Enclosures, HEPA filters, and activated carbon can provide additional control for particles, VOCs, and od......

Sep 19, 2026

Industrial & Manufacturing

3D Printing for Rapid Prototyping: Pick the Right Tech, Material & Budget

Rapid prototyping with 3D printing lets engineers turn a CAD file into a physical part in days instead of weeks. No tooling. No minimum order quantities. No waiting for a machine shop to fit your job into the schedule. Just a design file and a printed part you can hold, test, and iterate on before committing to expensive production tooling. That's the core value proposition. But additive manufacturing prototyping isn't a single process, it's a family of technologies, each suited to different prototype......

Sep 18, 2026